This doll of a boy is a young'un and I confess, I am in L-O-V-E with him! He is a golden mix and is as cute as can be with his one ear that stands up and the other one that flops over! Here are his stats and what we know about him so far:

Pringles is estimated to be 8-12 months, so we'll just say he's 10 months old.

He weighs 47 lbs but could probably stand to gain a couple (wish I had that problem!) and stands 23" at the shoulder, so he's a little smaller than the average golden.

He was found as a stray and came in with Truman 11-394 (rest in peace sweet boy!) from a shelter in Kansas City, MO.

Pringles also got pretty sick after he came here, most likely with the same thing that took Truman from us, which was kennel cough (similar to the human chest cold). Pringles was coughing a little too but had more of the flu symptoms like itchy watery eyes, runny nose, fever, and lethargy. The vet put him on some antibiotics and ran a test for canine influenza since he and Truman were hit so hard, but he tested negative, so we assume it was just a really bad strain of kennel cough. Thankfully, he is doing MUCH better now - his fever is gone, his nose is no longer running, he can breathe more easily, and he's wiggling his butt again! His eyes are still a bit red and itchy as you can see in some of the photos, but overall, he is doing great, and we are SO thankful for that after losing poor Truman!

He is UTD on all his vaccinations but still needs to be neutered.

Pringles is a playful puppy with a moderate energy level. He loves to play with toys, chew on nylabones, and will do some fetching but is not obsessive about the ball. He loves to go for walks and would probably make an excellent running partner. All young dogs need a good amount of exercise and he is no exception, but he is also happy to lay down and nap for a bit when you aren't in the mood for playing.

Pringles is a sweet boy that loves to give kisses. His tail never stops wagging (which makes it a blur in most of his pics!) and his butt wiggles a lot! He is a love and will put his head in your lap for you to pet and kiss him. He has soft fluffy gold fur that just makes you want to cuddle him!

He is somewhat submissive to humans (but not overly so) and gives this cute grin and kisses to show you that he knows you are the leader. He does this primarily when he first meets people and in new situations or when he's more nervous.

He is good with other dogs as well and seems to read their body language pretty well. He met the neighbor's three collies and approached wagging his tail and standing tall at first as if to say "Hi guys, I'm a big confident boy and I just want to be your friend!" When he met the snarky alpha female though, he quickly lowered his tail, gave her quick kisses, and looked away at just the right time as if he was telling her "Don't worry, I don't want to be the boss, just your friend."

Pringles does not guard his food or toys from humans at all and will let me take toys from him or put my hands in his food dish without protest. He doesn't guard these items from other dogs really but will warn them if he feels they are getting too close to something he has and considers to be high value (like his food or bones). It is pretty normal dog speak though so as long as the other dogs are respectful and listen, there shouldn't be any problem.

He walks amazingly well on leash and trots along right next to you. Perfect walking companion - much better than my 11 lb Miniature Pinscher Bella, who pulls a lot or foster sister Basil 11-306 who doesn't pull but zig zags in front of me a lot!

He appears to be mostly potty trained. He had a couple accidents at first but that's not uncommon for dogs in new homes. Not to mention he was sick.

Pringles sleeps on the floor at night and either stays in a crate when we're gone or we're slowly allowing him to stay confined to our bedroom and bathroom to see how he does. I think he will be okay being away from his humans for a full work day, as long as he gets plenty of attention when you are home!

He will pick up things like shoes and other items to chew on (but will drop them and trade when asked to) so he needs to be watched closely to keep him out of trouble, like any young pupper.

Pringles will need to go to some obedience classes to learn some manners but he seems to be a quick learner and he's already picking up on some things here. He is treat motivated and takes treats pretty nicely (unlike my dog who bites my hand off!) and is eager to please. I can tell that he will respond much better to positive reinforcement than to any scolding - not that any dog really responds well to scolding, but he seems to be a little on the sensitive side!

Pringles needs some coaxing, and sometimes a boost, to get in the car, but once in, he rides pretty well.

I have not yet determined if Pringles is good with kids or cats and I'm still trying to decide if I think he needs a fenced yard or another dog in his forever home. I hope to test those things out soon though so I'll keep you posted!

Playing hard...

...and resting hard.

Waiting for Santa to come

Stealing Bella's bed!

When is it going to stop raining?!

Aren't I just too cute for words?!

UPDATES:

12/17/2011:

Hi guys! It's me, Pringles! If you want to meet the cutest puppy in RAGOM-land (that's me!), you should come see me at the Petco in Apple Valley on Sunday! I'll be there from 1:30 to 3:00 giving out free kisses! You have to promise not to laugh at me though because my eye looks a little icky right now - I have a little infection that is making some of the hair fall out around my eye. (Don't worry, I'm not contagious.) Foster Mom says she's getting me all fixed up though and I'll be as good as new soon. Didn't realize I was broken though - it doesn't bother me too much, maybe just a little itchy. Anyway, I hope to see you there! I'll be the cute golden haired pup with one ear standing up and the other one flopping over!

12/20/2011:

from Archie and Clyde

From Jill Judlin, "Get better soon buddy!"

12/28/2011:

First, Pringles would like to thank Archie and Clyde for the Christmas mitten! He is honored and thankful for your generosity!

Thanks also to those who came out to Petco to meet him! He had a blast and as you can see in the picture below, he was conked out tired when he got home!

We have learned a couple new things about Pringles:

He did fine with the kids at Petco, so I think he will be okay in a home with kids. Probably slightly older kids though, just because he is an active puppy and might knock over really young kids and can occasionally get a little mouthy. He's still working on his manners :)

He also met a cat and was a little curious, but jumped when it hissed at him. For the most part, he didn't care about it, so I think he would be fine in a home with dog-savvy cats.

I would really like to see Pringles go to a home with a fenced yard. I don't necessarily think he's a big bolter, but he likes to be off leash in the yard and just roll around or lay out in the grass or snow. I think there's a little bit of husky or shepherd in him that likes to just hang out outside. In fact, sometimes it's hard to get him to come inside! Plus, he seems to prefer to go to the bathroom off leash in the yard, rather than on leash on walks.

I would also like to see his Forever Home have another young-ish (or young at heart!) dog that likes to play. Pringles loves to play with our 1-year-old Miniature Pinscher Bella and I think he would really enjoy a play buddy in his new home. After all, he is a puppy and puppies love to play play play! I have tons of pictures of Pringles and Bella playing and being silly, but here are a couple of my favorites:

We had guests over for Christmas and Pringles surprised us a little by retreating to a vacant room and hanging out by himself. I thought for sure I was going to have to tether him to me so that I could keep him from jumping on guests and giving too many kisses, but instead he preferred to lay low. I don't think he was scared or intimidated, just a little overwhelmed by all the action. But he came out eventually and was such a good boy. Pringles would also like to thank RAGOM for the Christmas toys and treats Santa gave him at the Petco event! He is having a blast tearing noses and arms off of them!

Unfortunately, Pringles's eye infection has continued to get worse and spread to his other eye, his nose, and his chin. It was resisting antibiotics so we saw another vet for a second opinion, who put him on yet another antibiotic and also a steroid, and it seems that the steroid might finally be doing the trick, as we're starting to see some minor improvement. Or, at least it isn't spreading and getting worse. So we're working on getting him healed up so that he can be neutered. He looks pretty crummy, but if you can look past that, he's still a cute little pupper needing a forever home! Could you be the One?!

01/11/2012:

Well, after numerous antibiotics and a steroid, all with no improvement or relief for Pringles, we finally have a diagnosis: ringworm. Poor guy has been through the ringer - first, he had hookworms and a bad cold (kennel cough) and now a super itchy infection! The vet has prescribed oral and topical anti-fungal meds, so hopefully we will see improvement very soon. The medicine is super expensive though, so if you can spare a little (or a lot!), Pringles could use your help getting him to the healthy boy he deserves to be. Here are a couple pictures of what he looks like before treatment; I hope to be posting pictures soon of how he is looking better!

01/17/2012:

Huge thanks to Pringles's sponsors and donors! To the person who donated in memory of Doris Pipping, to Judith Cummings, and to Jill Judlin (and of course to Archie and Clyde as well!) - Pringles sends puppy kisses and big thanks for your generous help!

Because of these kind donors and RAGOM's help, Pringles was able to get the medicine he needed to start getting him on the road to recovery and oh what a difference a definitive diagnosis and the right medicine makes! Almost immediately after starting it, he started looking better! The redness has started fading to a more normal pink, the scaliness and scratches have started going away, and he isn't itchy anymore! YAY! Here is a picture of him after a week of treatment:

We went to the vet for a one week follow up and she was so happy to see his improvement! Because the medicine he's taking has the potential for harmful side effects, he is taking the medicine in "pulse therapy" - meaning he will take the medicine for one week, then take a week off, and then repeat until he has a week on the medicine three times. After that third week (which will be five weeks total), he will go in for another skin culture to test to see if the ringworm is still present. Unfortunately, that test can take a couple weeks to get the results back because you have to allow time for the fungus to grow, and we will continue to treat him during that time. After that, we will do another culture every two weeks until he has two consecutive negative tests, then treat for one more week and then he would be considered cured. So the downside to ringworm is that it is a very long treatment process (it will probably be several months before he is done), but the positive side is that it is treatable, unlike many diseases. The hair should eventually grow back and he should make a full recovery.

We'll keep you posted on his progress!

02/17/2012:

Pringles is doing SOOOO much better now that he's been on the medicine for several weeks! The red angry scaly skin has faded to a nice normal pink (even a little brownish - the vet says this is the skin's normal response when it's healing) and his fur is starting to grow back! In fact, right now, he's got cute fuzz! He's long forgotten he has/had ringworm so that's wonderful news! We went to the vet recently for a re-check and the vet took some hair samples so they can do a culture. It will take 2-3 weeks to get the results back and he will continue on the medicine in the mean time. If that comes back negative, we will do another culture, and if that one is negative too, he will continue on the medicine for one more week and then he will be considered "cured". If any come back positive, then we just keep on the medicine and do periodic cultures until we get two consecutive negative results. After that, he will finally be ready to be neutered (the vet wants to wait until he is no longer on the medicine because it could interact with anesthesia and cause problems)! So at minimum, he still has another 6-8 weeks of treatment. It's a long treatment process, but at least he'll make a full recovery - and that's really all that matters!

In the meantime, Pringles picked up some roundworms - who knows where he got that?! Maybe because he likes to lay outside eating grass?! Poor guy has now had hookworms, ringworm, and roundworms, all in a couple short months! (Although, to be fair, ringworm isn't actually a worm.) Thankfully, a little dewormer and those roundworms will be gone in no time.

Pringles is quite a puppy! I take that back - he's an adolescent! He's like a toddler - you need to constantly watch him or he'll get into trouble! He likes to chew on things - shoes, pillows, dog beds, slippers, buttons on shirts, newspaper, TV remotes, hangers...you name it, he's probably destroyed it at our house! Needless to say, we are doing an awful lot of trading for nylabones and toys around here! Here is an example of what happens when you turn your back on a puppy for too long:

But despite Pringles's puppy behaviors, he is still a sweet, sweet boy. He loves to give kisses and will lay his head in your lap for you to pet him, and his fur is so soft and fluffy like a puppy! And boy is he a charmer! When I bring him to the vet, all the techs and the vets coo over him and fall in love with him! And when I brought him to Chuck and Don's recently, they went ga-ga over him too and remarked at what a happy boy he is! He may not look like a golden much, but he just has such a great personality! Everyone he meets loves him, and I'm certainly no exception! Here are a few pics of this happy boy:

03/03/2012:

Pringles has two BIG and EXCITING announcements to make:

1. He tested negative for ringworm! After waiting for over three weeks, we finally got the news from the vet this morning that the results from his ringworm culture came back and they were negative. Yay! There is a still a little scarring that I imagine will fade over time, but Pringles looks WORLDS better than he did in those awful pictures from a couple updates ago and his hair has mostly grown back. We will continue with the medicine this week and then next week we'll go back for another culture. If that's negative also, we will continue on the medicine for one more week and then he can be neutered.

2. He has found his Furever Home! After much thought and deliberation, we have decided to make him a permanent member of our family! The deliberation was not for lack of wanting him to be our Forever Furbaby -- if you look back to the beginning of my very first update, I wrote that I am in L-O-V-E with him (that should have been my first clue)! Rather, I felt I was failing because I am supposed to foster these dogs and adopt them out to their new homes. But a very special RAGOM volunteer reminded me that our job as fosters is to find our foster dogs the perfect home for them, and we realized that we WERE the perfect home for Pringles, so in that regard, I think we succeeded! Pringles just fits in so perfectly here and we love him to pieces! He and our 1 yr old Min Pin Bella get along so well and they are best buddies. They play play play and even though Pringles is 4 times bigger than her (he's 46 lbs and she's 11 lbs), he knows just how rough he can and can't be with her. And even though he has a bit of a shoe fetish and can be a little stinker sometimes, we just can't imagine not having him with us! (We'll just have to enroll him in some obedience classes and work on some of those naughty puppy traits!)

Pringles grinned from ear to ear when I told him he gets to stay with us forever and EVER:

Then he and Bella played and played like there was no tomorrow:

And then he crashed:

We will continue with Pringles's treatment until the vet gives him the A-OK to do the little snip-snip and then we'll make the adoption Official!

03/16/2012:

Pringles will be showing off his new fuzz on his face and how well he has healed when he is at Chuck and Don's Highland Park on Saturday 3/17 from 11-12:30. Come meet him and say hello!

04/02/2012:

Pringles is a smart boy - he recently learned to ring the bell to go outside! When he had that "Aha!" moment and he finally realized that when he rang the bell, I would get up and bring him outside, he then proceeded to spend the next half hour testing me by ringing it over and over again! Now I just need to teach him that he's supposed to ring the bell to go potty, not just to go outside and play! Silly boy!

Here's a pic of Pringles doing his best Firefox impression! I'd say he's doing a pretty darn good job, what do you think?!

He works hard for the money! Here's Pringles at the Highland Park event recently making big bucks for RAGOM! He was so charming, in fact, that he even got someone to stick a twenty in his pocket! Way to go Pringles!

Here's Pringles doing one of his most favoritest things: just chillin' outside watching the world go round!

Pringles is still waiting for the results of his latest ringworm culture - we think we should be getting that this coming week or next. Paws crossed it's negative, then he can be neutered and adopted! Yay!

04/06/2012:

We got the results back from Pringles's last ringworm culture and it was negative! YAY!!! He will continue on the meds for a couple more weeks and then he will be ready to be neutered and adopted. Double yay!

We learned something new about Pringles this week - he's a bolter and a runner. Surprised the heck out of me because he'd snuck out once before and came right back in the house when we called him. Not this time. He snuck out the front door this week when someone came over and went running down the street (on the sidewalk), completely ignoring me. I drove around to try to find him (all while having a complete heart attack) for what seemed like forever (but was probably only about 5 or 10 minutes), until I found him sitting in someone's driveway next to a nice guy who had enough sense to grab him and leash him until I showed up. So the little stinker (Pringles, not the good samartian!) went running around the neighborhood until he found someone to pet him! Naughty Pringles! He did NOT get any treats after that adventure! Well that was quite a scare for me and I learned my lesson - ALWAYS be very careful when the front door is opened and shut it as soon as possible! Thankfully, I did not have to learn this lesson the heartbreaking way. I am signing little Mr. Naughty up for obedience classes as soon as I can get him in - too bad they're booked out a ways!

05/26/2012:

Pringles is officially adopted!

06/11/2012:

Hi everyone, Pringles here! Mom said I could write my last update, so I decided to keep a diary of my last few weeks as a RAGOM foster dog before I get to be officially Adopted and become a RAGOM alum! So here it is:

4/30: I took my last ringworm medicine today! YAY, I'm officially cured now! Mom scheduled a neuter appointment for me for 5/11 - she says then I will become a "true" man! I can't wait!

5/11 8:00 am: Oh boy, am I excited or what! Today must be a special day because I get to go for a car ride! I LOVE car rides! YAY! Mom says she's taking me to a very special place called MN SNAP (you can read about all the good work they do here) to get neutered. I don't know what that means, but she says all the cool cats (and dogs) are doing it! I want to be cool too, so I figure I'll go ahead with it. And I get a car ride out of the deal! Did I mention I love car rides? Oh I did? Well, I just wanted to make sure you know! Anyway, my brother and sister and foster sister Basil 11-306 have all done it, so it can't be that bad. Mom says that spaying and neutering is a good thing because then I won't ever be able to make more babies. I wasn't sure why that is that a good thing, because I would think the world needs more dogs like me! Well, Mom said that there are already LOTS of dogs out there like me in shelters and rescue groups that are waiting for homes, so there is no need for me to add to that number. Plus she said it will make me healthier and live longer - well duh then, it sounds like a no-brainer! So off we go!

5/11 8:30 am: Oh I like this MN SNAP place! There are lots of other dogs and cats here! It is so exciting, it's a little like a zoo! I think I'm going to like getting neutered! Mom brought me on the big truck and dropped me off and told me to be good and then told the nice lady in blue to take good care of me. I don't know why she's so worried - clearly this is FUN!

5/11 2:00 pm: Ugh, now I don't think this neutering business is so happy after all. I feel very sleepy and woozy and my boy parts are kind of sore. Wait a minute - I don't have all my boy parts anymore, they TOOK 'em! Well, that sure was sneaky of them! Mom came back to get me and...

5/11 2:05 pm: Oops sorry, I fell asleep there for a few minutes. I told ya I was woozy! Now mom is making me walk to the car. My rear end is sore though and it's hard to keep it up, so I have to stop every few feet and lay down. I keep checking "down there" to see what's going on and why it feels funny. Then Mom asked me if I needed to go potty and I did, but I couldn't keep my back legs up, so I knelt down to pee. She laughed at me (not nice Mom!) because my knees were on the ground - not sure why she thinks that's so funny cuz she gets to sit down when she pees, talk about lazy!

Kneeling to pee

5/11 2:10 pm: Oops, I fell asleep again! I had to rest after going potty, and I was just so tired! I think maybe the lady in blue slipped something in my water because I feel kinda funny. Must. Go. To. Sleep. Now.....

So exhausted!

5/11 9:00 pm: Wow, that was a BIG long nap, I kind of feel like I just woke up from the dead! Thanks Mom for letting me sleep so long, I guess I needed it. I feel much better now, but I'm still a little woozy. She's keeping me in the crate so that the other dogs won't bother me - especially my 16 week old brother Koa, cuz he CONSTANTLY wants to play! I love the little guy - he's my new best buddy - but good grief he is ALWAYS on the move! Mom gave me a peanut butter kong to keep me busy but the other dogs just hovered outside my crate like hawks and I didn't like that so I gave a little growl at them and then she took it away. Sheesh, I was just protecting what was mine! Oh well, I think I'll just go back to sleep then, since I'm still pretty sleepy.

5/12 8:00 am: GOOD MORNING! It's a beautiful day and I am ready to greet the world again! Mom was really happy to see me feeling better today and back to my usual self, but made some comment about how fun it's going to be to keep two puppies (me and Koa) from playing. WHAT?!? Getting neutered means I can't play anymore?!? Well, I don't want to be neutered any more, this STINKS! I love to play with Koa and she says I can't do that anymore?!? Oh, woe is me! What's that, Mom? She says to stop being a drama queen - this restricted activity is just temporary. Well, I think I'll still go pout for a bit.

5/12 4:00 pm: I keep trying to check out my incision because it's a little itchy so Mom decides to try putting a cone on me to keep me from licking. Boy did that FREAK me out! I bucked around and backed right out of my dad's arms because I did NOT like the idea of them putting something big and scary over my head, and ran right under the bed to hide! I like hanging out under the bed with foster sister Basil. That's one of her "safe spots" and I can see why - it's kind of cozy under there! So I crawl under there and keep her company from time to time.

5/18: Mom says I'm healing really nicely - no swelling or bruising and no complications. She was worried I'd have complications because of my history - when I first got here, I got a really bad case of kennel cough, then I got a really bad case of ringworm...every time I caught a bug, I caught it BAD! But not this time, I sailed through with flying colors! Mom did her best keeping me to "restricted" activity, but I certainly didn't make it easy for her! Why would I want to, I gotta keep her on her toes :D

5/26: Today is the six month anniversary of when I came to live with my foster home and it's a fitting day to make it my "official" Forever Home! Mom says she paid my adoption fee and sent in all the paperwork so I'm now officially a part of their family! YAY!

What's that? I'm officially adopted now?! YAY!

6/5: Mom and Dad put in a new fence today! Woo-hoo! I can RUN! I LOVE to run, run, run, in my new great big yard with lots of space to run and do zoomies! Thanks Mom and Dad! Here we are running in our new yard for the first time:

6/11: I noticed Mom was dragging her heels in getting my update in - something about the daunting task of having to pick a couple of her favorite photos of me from the BILLIONS she takes ALL THE TIME! (sheesh Mom, give it a rest sometime why don't ya?!) - so I had to give her a gentle reminder to get her rear end moving and send it in already!

Mom says I've grown up a lot in the last 6 months since I've been here. She used to say she couldn't take her eyes off of me or I would get in trouble and chew something up, but now she trusts me enough to let me have my alone time. You see, I may be part Golden Retriever and I certainly have my Golden traits, but I'm also part something else, and that part of me shows through too. I like to go hang out by myself in other parts of the house some times - Mom says that's weird to her because she's never had a dog that didn't want to be by her side constantly. Don't get me wrong - I love my people - but a boy's gotta have some alone time too! I would LOVE it if she'd let me go have some of my alone time outside, like ALL day when she's gone (I just LOVE to lay outside in the grass and just watch things!), but she's such a worry wart and she won't let me. She says it's not safe. She says she's the Mom and she knows what's best for me and I shouldn't argue with her. Yes Ma'am!

Enjoying some alone time on the upstairs landing

She also says my fur has gotten SUPER soft like silk! I don't know if it's because the food they feed me is so good or if it's because I shed out my winter coat (and boy did I shed a lot for a bit there!) and out came my nice soft summer coat, but either way, she's always oohing and aahing over how soft I am! Mom also says that some day, after I finish my obedience classes, she thinks I might be a good therapy dog. She says I'm so good with all people and kids and dogs, that I might be really good at going to visit people who need a dog to hug. I like the sound of that - I'll take free hugs anytime! First she says I need to have better recall though...

Practicing "sit" with Koa and Basil

And last but not least, I'm so happy to have my new little brother Koa. We are best friends. We play together all the time - we wrestle and mouth-box and growl and show each other how tough we are with our crinkly noses. He can be a little booger sometimes (after all, he is a 20 week old puppy), but I'm a good big brother to him - I teach him how to be a good boy. And don't tell anyone, but I kinda love him too! Here are a couple pictures of us playing and snuggling:

Thanks RAGOM for helping me find my Forever Home...I think I'm going to like it here! And thanks again to my sponsors and those who donated for my care - the person who donated in memory of Doris Pipping (I'm sure she was special like me!), Judith Cummings, Jill Judlin, and Archie and Clyde! Without your donations, I might still have that awful ringworm on my face, so I am VERY thankful for your help! Now I'm a pretty boy - ringworm free! (And I have the CUTEST ears ever!)

Hugs and Kisses,Pringles B. G.(Mom says my middle name is Boots because I have white fur on my feet that makes it look like I'm wearing boots!)